Oliver Springs Industrial Spur - BNSF Switching Layout

[Liam_uk]

Started the cement terminal this morning so I can lay track into it and behind it. 

The car shed and the silos aren't joined, just placed together.

This is the first kit I've done.

 

I've also started pikestuff single engine shed kit which will become the corn syrup distributor.

 

 

Edited February 10, 2021 by Liam_uk
Adding information

[F-UnitMad]

Now you see why the Walthers box is so big!!!

 

I do wish the Pikestuff kits were available in O Scale. They're very versatile kits. Even though they're instantly recognisable on layouts the real thing is common enough too, so really fairly essential for this style of layout.

[Liam_uk]

16 hours ago, F-UnitMad said:

Now you see why the Walthers box is so big!!!

 

I do wish the Pikestuff kits were available in O Scale. They're very versatile kits. Even though they're instantly recognisable on layouts the real thing is common enough too, so really fairly essential for this style of layout.

 

Yes I can now 

 

Surprising really. You think they would do seeing as it's already multi gauge.....

[Liam_uk]

So I placed the part built cement terminal on today to get an idea of space.

 

 

 

 

I Moved it a little to the left and made the spur 3 spots instead of 2.

 

So the line will come round the curve behind the cement terminal and into the run round.

 

I will eventually add lighting underneath, and I've just bought a pot of paint to paint the backscene all 40 odd ft of it 

Edited February 11, 2021 by Liam_uk
Random picture at the bottom

[Liam_uk]

The 3 kit came today from KGR.

 

[Liam_uk]

I've had to put this all into several posts due to the 10mb picture limit, sorry it's post heavy.

 

I've done a mock up of the metal manufacturers building, just held with masking tape at the moment. There is one covered area for loading finished products into a box car.

And then another spot for scrap metal to be placed into a gondola.

 

 

 

 

I will have to get a picture of the prototype, I'm just going off something I can remember from a Distant Signals Video on YouTube.

 

Although the original area maybe a bit tight looking at the kit and may move to the back run....

[Liam_uk]

Last one for today!! (Should really condense the pictures but I'm working off my phone and each picture seems to be between 3 and 6 mb).

 

This is the original area originally intended for the metal manufacturers. 

[long island jack]

They tend to use 100T 2 bay hoppers for cement due to the weight of the product.

 

 

[Liam_uk]

2 hours ago, long island jack said:

They tend to use 100T 2 bay hoppers for cement due to the weight of the product.

 

 

 

Awesome, thanks for the info. 

Think I have a couple of those.

 But I had just grabbed the hopper cars in the picture as they were closest to me 

Edited February 11, 2021 by Liam_uk

[Keith Addenbrooke]

7 hours ago, Liam_uk said:

So I placed the part built cement terminal on today to get an idea of space.

 

 

 

 

I Moved it a little to the left and made the spur 3 spots instead of 2.

 

So the line will come round the curve behind the cement terminal and into the run round.

 

I will eventually add lighting underneath, and I've just bought a pot of paint to paint the backscene all 40 odd ft of it 

With the buildings this sort of size, I think it really helps to be able to place them on the boards before finalising track layout.  You’re ahead of me (I’m having to replan my layout for a different space) but I think I’ll follow your example here.

[Liam_uk]

10 hours ago, long island jack said:

They tend to use 100T 2 bay hoppers for cement due to the weight of the product.

 

 

 

Well I thought I had 2 bay hoppers, turns out there just these 3 bay hoppers:

 

 

Looks like I'll have to add them to the list along with a few other cars 

[Liam_uk]

4 hours ago, Keith Addenbrooke said:

With the buildings this sort of size, I think it really helps to be able to place them on the boards before finalising track layout.  You’re ahead of me (I’m having to replan my layout for a different space) but I think I’ll follow your example here.

 

Thanks.

 

This is the first time I've ever done anything like this and with the size of the buildings I thought it wise to try and place some of them before laying track. Although I laid half the layout without buildings

[long island jack]

Not sure what period your modelling,( if any) there a modern late 90's 60' grain hopper, not much good for cement.

 

[Liam_uk]

7 hours ago, long island jack said:

Not sure what period your modelling,( if any) there a modern late 90's 60' grain hopper, not much good for cement.

 

 

Period is probably 2000s onwards.

I had bought these cars as I intended to have the grain silos. However I'll now use them for the transfer facility and I suppose they could be used for the exchange yard traffic.

 

Looking back through the comments I missed a comment from F-uniy mad regarding the cement terminal and cars:

 

"don't forget that cement, being a heavier product than grain, travels in shorter covered hoppers. You may well have more than 2 spots available on the cement works spur.

Cement hoppers are often 2-bay, rather than 3- or 4-bay like grain hoppers."

[F-UnitMad]

50 minutes ago, Liam_uk said:

Looking back through the comments I missed a comment from F-unit Mad regarding the cement terminal and cars:

 

"don't forget that cement, being a heavier product than grain, travels in shorter covered hoppers. You may well have more than 2 spots available on the cement works spur.

Cement hoppers are often 2-bay, rather than 3- or 4-bay like grain hoppers."

 

[Regularity]

It's density: not weight.

A ton of cement is the same weight as a ton of grain, but it requires less volume because it is denser.

[F-UnitMad]

1 hour ago, Regularity said:

It's density: not weight.

A ton of cement is the same weight as a ton of grain, but it requires less volume because it is denser.

Sometimes it's my density....  

 

Yes, that's what I really meant.

[Regularity]

1 minute ago, F-UnitMad said:

Sometimes it's my density....  

 

Yes, that's what I really meant.

I'll set 'em up, and you can bowl 'em...

[Liam_uk]

Evening All,

 

Few questions, changes and alterations.....

 

Firstly you may (or may not) have noticed Ive removed the Norfolk Southern tag.

Looking around and (finally...) listening to what has been said, most industrial spurs seem to be worked by either 1 Mainline Railroad company or a short line company.

With this in mind, trying to make it more prototypical (and the fact I havent actually got any NS stock as yet), I thought that having the industrial Spur worked by BNSF would be the way to go.

It also means for variety I can use BNSF, SF, BN and leased locos.

 

Again with this in mind it leaves me with a few choices that Im not sure about, (mainly due to lack of knowledge). 

 

Would a spur have 2 ways into it or another spur from one spur? I am just thinking as I have the junction with 2 ways off the scenic area do I use these in one  the ways mentioned or do I make one line a long siding for an industry and just have one way into the scenic area.

 

Also looking at the yard (picture before I had fully laid the track):

 

 

With the main run that I have just started having a larger run round for which all the industries branch off of, does this makes my small 5 car run round a bit redundant?

 

I am also struggling to see why I would have a yard or loco stand.

I basically copied this part off Thomas Klimoski's Georgia Northeastern industrial spur, and this had the the yard to sort the cars out which had come into the spur and the loco stabling for the shortlines locos. 

So I'm thinking the loco stands are probably not be needed?

Also, would the yard still be useful/prototypical or would it be a bit pointless as the cars would have been sorted before coming from the main yard to the spur on a local. 

 

Again thank you for taking the time to read, hopefully not getting to infuriated with my lack of knowledge, and help in advance. This time I will try and read EVERY post not just skim read. 

 

Im just looking at buildings to make shells of before laying the back spurs on the main run, but hopefully this week I will have the cement siding, run round and transload facility laid, or at least the track cut to size and the points sorted ready to be laid as these will be at the front of the boards.

[Keith Addenbrooke]

Hi Liam, as you’re setting is quite contemporary, a lot of track would have been simplified (and there’d probably be some industries that are no longer rail served too if you have any spare buildings to use).

 

I’ll have a go at making sense of it, but I stand to be corrected by those who know more than me:

 

I think the Georgia Northeastern RR of Thomas Klimoski you’re referencing models an independent (or subsidiary) Short Line, so they might logically have a small yard to sort (block) incoming cars for distributing around the industries they serve.  I’m inclined to agree that I’d expect a modern BNSF-served industrial park to be switched with cuts of cars that had been blocked in advance at a bigger yard nearby, which might also be where the locomotives would usually be spotted and serviced (overnight).  However, I think you could also create a backstory for your layout where BNSF had taken over another operation, or where passing freight trains leave cuts of cars for blocking in the small yard you have.  I think there are also examples of locomotives being stored overnight near the industries they serve if crews don’t have time to make return trips within their allowable shift.

 

As for the runround, if I’m following your logic correctly, I think it is more likely these days that cars would be sorted and then shoved into an industrial park, there not being a second runround at the end of the line, unless historical placement of industries made this necessary.

 

As for ‘siding’ terminology: if I understand the question a single ended stub siding is most often called a spur, which distinguishes it from a double ended (passing) loop, which is called a siding.  Again, I stand to be corrected, but your whole layout might even be referred to as a ‘siding’ as it’s not a main line, just to confuse things.

 

Switchback Spurs (one leading back off another) are more common on model railroads than in reality (they are a nuisance to switch, so to be avoided, although I admit most of my own layout plans do have them).  You could model your second “entrance” line (which is now ‘spare’ ?) as a loads-in / empties-out industry as it goes off scene?

 

Don’t know if this helps - where others can help more than me is by suggesting BNSF and other prototypes to check out.

Edited February 17, 2021 by Keith Addenbrooke

[long island jack]

If it was me, i'd do away with the fiddle yard and make it into a scenic yard with a small satellite shed( yard power, locals), i'd add a dummy mainline at both ends to connect with the rest of the world, single track would do.

 Then spread the industries out over the other two sides, with room for scenery, with a run round at the far end, spurs going both way, industry with 3-4 spots each, it's not the amount of industries, it's the number of spots it has that makes it interesting, have a look on google maps at industrial parks there's lots of industries that are not rail served.

At the end of the day it's your layout, so it's what you want, but to me less is more.

look at this https://thehillsline.com/      http://www.iaisrailfans.org/gallery/MJMGrimesLine

Edited February 15, 2021 by long island jack

[long island jack]

Have a look at BNSF yard at Centralia  https://www.google.com/maps/@38.5420211,-89.1425077,3926m/data=!3m1!1e3 follow the tracks south and there's an industrial park, there some

videos on Youtube

 

 

[Keith Addenbrooke]

Hi Liam, I like @long island jack’s suggestion for developing your layout plan.  It prompted me to have a close look at your track plan, and if it’s not too late to offer an observation, it does look like the staging / fiddle yard as drawn is quite a lot larger than you’re likely to need for this layout (it’s quite a British Fiddle Yard in that sense).  There’s only likely to be one train a day into your industrial park, but if you went with the idea of making the yard scenic - as part of the wider railroad - I agree it could add to the layout.
 

My own US layout plan only has a single staging cassette - it’s all I need, whereas even a small UK Branch Line model typically has a three-six track Fiddle Yard (even if the line would only actually see an Auto train shuffling up and down and a daily mixed Goods).  Hope it’s not being disruptive at this late stage, you’ve made more progress than I have this winter, Keith.

[Keith Addenbrooke]

10 hours ago, long island jack said:

Have a look at BNSF yard at Centralia  https://www.google.com/maps/@38.5420211,-89.1425077,3926m/data=!3m1!1e3 follow the tracks south and there's an industrial park, there some

videos on Youtube

 

 

If Liam doesn’t mind me asking a question specifically to this video, I’d have thought this was the kind of situation where a shoving platform would be justified (looking at the Google map link)?  It looks like the train goes down a running line before reaching the industrial park, so it is not yet in the switching area.  Just wondered - I know less about operations today, Keith. 

[long island jack]

They usually have a shoving platform, there's one in all the other videos, not sure why there's not one on this train